Dare Babalola
The Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) on Wednesday condemned calls by some Ghanaians for the deportation of Nigerians from their country.
Recall that a viral video showed a group of Ghanaians staging a protest and calling for Nigerians to leave their country, over alleged misconduct.
Reacting, the chairman of the committee, Bassey Aniekan, criticised the stigmatisation, stating that it is improper to tag all Nigerians as criminals.
According to the senator representing Akwa Ibom north-east, “Nigerians are hardworking people and not criminals as purported,” he said.
“They are good ambassadors wherever they find themselves. While there may be a few bad individuals among them, the generality of Nigerians are peaceful and law-abiding people.
“Ghana and Nigeria are brothers and should continue to live in peace.
“Dialogue has proven countless times to be a tool for peace and should be deployed.”
The senator appealed for calm and urged Nigerians living in Ghana to exercise restraint and avoid provocation or reprisal attacks.
Earlier, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in a statement released on X by its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the commission’s Chairman Abike Dabiri-Erewa condemned the labeling of Nigerians as criminals.
Dabiri-Erewa said, “Nigerians are not criminals. They are good ambassadors wherever they find themselves while those bad ones should be fished out to face necessary sanctions.
“Ghana and Nigeria are like siamese twins. They are brothers and in the spirit of ECOWAS and regional integration should continue to live in peace like brothers.”
